Clutch control for motor-driven shears



A111417; 1.931 G, F. HIGHT 1,800,072

CLUTCH CONTROL FOR KOTOR DRIVER SHEARS Filed Jan. 2'6, 1928 ".'llllrlllllll Patented Apr. 7, 1931 `UVNIA'IEIS STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE FARGHER HIGHT, OF AUCKLAND, NEWZEALAND CLUTCH CONTROL FOR MOTORDRIVEN SHEARS Application led January 26, 1928, Serial No. 249,698, and in New Zealand February 8, 1927.

This invention relates to handpieces of sheep shearing machines and has for its object the provision of an improvement in said handpieces, whereby stopping and starting of the cutters thereof is facilitated.

At the present time sheep shearing machilies are mostly equipped with overhead cutter stopping and starting means operated through a pull rope, and in some cases by a tray or support actuated by the handpiece being placed therein, and also upon being relieved of the weight of the handpiece, while it has also been proposed to insert clutch mechanism in the flexible drive to the handpiece adjacent the latter, for putting the cutters into and out of action as required.

With none of the forms of cutter stopping and starting means mentioned, is it possible for an operator to actuate said means with the hand gripping the handpiece, and

as the other hand is nearly always occupied in holding the sheep to be shorn, it will be seen that the operator is seriously inconvenienced in stopping and starting the cutters, and more often than not has to drop the handpiece in order to obtain a free hand to actuate the stopping and starting means, and with cutters and the mechanism of the handpiece being driven at a high rate of speed, the practice is dangerous both to the operator and to the handpiece.

The improvement provided by the present invention enables an operator to actuate the cutter stopping and starting means, with '35 the hand gripping the handpiece and without releasing the latter, simply by pressure applied by one or more of the fingers of said hand. i The improvement consists in providing in a handpiece a cutter driving shaft intwo portions, With a clutch fitted between said portions and adapted to be operatedby a clutch shifter actuated from outside the 15 handpiece, to cause said shaft portions to 59 The improvement will be more particularly described with the aid of the` acco1npanying drawing, wherein Figure l is a part sectional elevation of a landpiece fitted with the improvement anc y Figure :2 is an inverted plan view thereof while i w Figurew is an enlarged `part section of the parts comprised in the invention and Figuret a side view and` i u igure 5 an endview of the clutch shifter an i i l i i Figure 6" a detail view of the sliding clutch member.

, In "carrying` out `the improvement i the shaft, in the handpiece l provided for transmitting the drive, from the flexible or joined shaftQ attachedto the tail end of the hand piece, `to the cutter 3` is formed in two separate portions 4, `5 in axial alignment with each other, portion '4 being driven by the shaft 2 as before, While portion 5, operates the cutter 3 in the usual manner. f

A tubular clutch member 6 made a fixture by a rivet 6a or the like on the shaft por tion lextends beyond the inner end of the latter, andreceives the inner end ofshaft portionq,whereby the inner or` meeting ends of said portions 4, 5 are maintained'in true axial alignment with eachother.

`A `further tubular clutch member 7 containing a longitudinal slot; 8 `is slidable` along the `shaft portion 5,but turnswiththe latter through a :screw `9iscrewed into saidshaft portion 5, being passed through .i theslot S.

The innerer `meeting ends of the tubular clutch` members Giand 7 are `formed with teeth` 9a or are shaped so thatsaid `:endacan be` interlocked with each l other to: cause said clutch members Gand 7 to rotate together or drivably f connect` the shaft` portions 1 4 and5. H 1W -The clutch ferential groove 10 in which is engaged a fork Allhaving a stem 12 the latter passing through a longitudinal slot 13 in the underneath-portion of the handpiece casing and being provided at its lower end with a boss 12a which issecured to a short horizontal rod 14 contained'in a housingbl, secured member 7 contains a` circunr` ing of the shears, and a resilient leaf mounted upon the said handle and bearing frictionally against that side of the finger piece which is presented toward the handle.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature.

GEORGE FARGHER HIGHT.

piece liso that when the latter is gripped Y around its centre in the place'usually pro'- vided forl being gripped, with thei-ngers of the operator under the handpiece, said linger piece 17 can be readily;movedltowards or from the cutter end of the handpiece, merely by pressure applied by a finger or fingers of the hand gripping the handpiece and without relaxing the hold of the latter. It will y therefore be readily seen that if the finger shear`s, including the usual handle, drive piece 17 be moved towards the cutter end of thehandpeceithe sliding clutch'member 7 will be lmoved fro-m engagement with the clutch member ontheshaft portion 4 and thatthel latter canrotate without driving the shaft portion 5, whereas if the reverse move*- mentbe impartedto the linger piece 17 the clutch members 6 and 7 will interengage or lock by'means of their teeth'9a with each other, and drivably connect the shaft por-y Y tions 4 and 5.

By the means just described the user of the handpiece is enabled to stop and start the cutter, withthe vhand gripping thehandl pieoe and has noI occasion to relax his grip thereof in order toveffect suoli stoppingv and starting. y v The; stufling box and gland 16l are provided to prevent the Vescape of oil held within the handpiece, whilethe'spring plate 18 engaging the linger piece 17 prevents move-l ment'of the latter by the vibration :resulting from the high speed at which the operating parts of the handpiece are driven.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my. said invention and in what manner the-sameis to be performed I declare that what 'I claim is `In a clutch control Vfor motor driven shaft,\and shaft driven from the drive shaft, a clutch lmember ittedand lixedto the drive shaft andfextendingbeyond the end-thereof to receive the end of the driven shaft, a

' clutch'fmem'ber rotatable with thefdriveni i shaft and slidable thereon into and out of coactive engagement with thefir'st mentioned clutch member, manually operablen'means vhaving; "operative engagement with ythe second mentioned clutchmembe-rl t'o provide for actuation thereof, thesaid-n'ifanuallyl operablemeans` including a stem anda linger piece-upon the sternr extending beside and .in spaced'l relation to thelr handle ofthe cas# rio 

